The articles in this collection explore female patronage in literary, artistic and bibliophilic spheres from the Middle Ages to the early Renaissance with the aim of better defining women’s roles in the textual and visual (re)production and transmission of secular and religious works. What was their influence as commissioners of these oeuvres? Were literary texts translated or revised with a female-oriented message in mind? To what extent were images in illuminated manuscripts, illustrated books and paintings adapted to women’s interests? Bringing to light the phenomenon of cultural feminization, its conditions and constraints, the multidisciplinary approaches presented here elucidate in innovative and original fashion the real character of female patronage in Europe between the 13th and 16th centuries.

Cynthia J. Brown, Professor of French at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializes in late medieval literature and culture, with a focus on female patronage and the medieval book culture, text-image relationships, and text-editing.